"Well, THIS is the way to end it! You call the damned number, and in a week or a month ALL that goes away!"

"He isn't going to hurt her is he?"

"No", Fred replied with a chuckle. "It's nothing like that. You bring this guy home to live with you for a while. A long time friend that needs help getting back on his feet right? By the time he leaves she will realize that you are not so bad after all. Here, check this out."

This made me smile. And then that last line. Maybe it's because I'm a woman reading a story written from male perspectives... but that last line could be read so many different ways.

Perhaps, just perhaps... the experiment has in reality backfired on Fred and he just doesn't realize it yet. Maybe the wife doesn't complain about the sex anymore because she is getting it elsewhere and it's better.

That kind of open-to-interpretation ending makes for an interesting story. Nicely done.

"Funny" isn't very easy to find in Jason's contests, but I was determined(probably too much so) to force it in a bit this time.

Scott/Verilion: Thanks, dialogue is something that I have always avoided because I didn't 'know how to do it'. It could use some fixing for sure, but all and all I am happy with the way this turned out.

Sam:"clever, made me laugh in the end" ....if there wasn't already enough proof that I am just 'weird like that', this statement is making me picture your butt laughing which in turn makes ME laugh in the end.

Wavemancali:Thanks, Lighter/funnier(albeit wierdly funny) side comes pretty easy for me. The darker stuff is much harder to do.

Beth: I would say you 'got it' you just might not want to think it was right. I had a few EWWWWW vs HA ha reactions to the ending myself.

Heather: Slightly???? is that a challenge?

Desiderata: Good question of which I myself am not really sure of the answer. On the one hand I think he may not realize yet what he has done. On the other maybe he realizes it and she was SUCH a nag that it is worth it.

Betty: Plenty THINK they would. I suspect when they finally saw what the result was they would be thinking differently though. IF they ever 'got it' at least.

Susan: VERY good points and ones I thought of as well. Actually,My original version had Dan starting to jot down the number then saying something like "wait didn't you say she doesn't complain about the sex anymore either" before tearing it up while fred realized the implications of it. The dialogue and the word count weren't working out in that version so I went this way instead.

Again, thanks for all the kind comments all. I welcome the 'how could it have been done better' comments just as much if not more so. If you have any of those I welcome them(here or over my way or through email if you prefer) Go ahead I can take it.

>>>>>>>My original version had Dan starting to jot down the number then saying something like "wait didn't you say she doesn't complain about the sex anymore either" before tearing it up while fred realized the implications of it. The dialogue and the word count weren't working out in that version so I went this way instead.<<<<<<

I had the same thing happen to me. There were things I wanted to include but was constrained by the word count. I'm going to let mine sit for a bit and then I'm going to write it in the length that I think it needs.

I was pleased to see that your story got an Honourable Mention, because it was one of my favourites. Congratulations.